Killing of striking workers in Kerman Province – Iran

We have received a copy of this letter that was sent to the Iranian authorities
by the ICFTU (The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions) protesting
at the killing of at least four workers and the injuries inflicted on 40 or more
workers in the village of Khatoonabad and the city of Shahr-e Babak (Kerman
Province) on Saturday 24 January 2004. This confirms our previous
article on these events and also adds further information about what
happened.

We have received a copy of this letter that was sent to the Iranian
authorities by the ICFTU (The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions)
protesting at the killing of at least four workers and the injuries inflicted on
40 or more workers in the village of Khatoonabad and the city of Shahr-e Babak
(Kerman Province) on Saturday 24 January 2004. This confirms our previous
article on these events and also adds further information about what happened.

The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU),
which represents more than 151 million workers through its 233 affiliated trade
union centres in 151 countries and territories worldwide would like to express
its extreme concern over the killing of at least four workers and the injuries
inflicted on 40 or more workers in the village of Khatoonabad and the city of
Shahr-e Babak (Kerman Province) on Saturday 24 January 2004. The names of four
of the dead workers are reportedly as follows: Mahdavi, Javadi, Momeni and
Riyahi.

According to our information, the workers were a mixed group
of unskilled workers, construction workers and other skilled workers employed in
the construction of the Nazkhaton's Copper Smelting plant in the village of
Khatoonabad. Their employer, a subcontractor that had built the smelting plant
for the National Iranian Copper Industries Company in cooperation with China's
National Non-Ferrous Metals Co., had reportedly promised permanent contracts to
the 1500 workers who had participated in the construction and preparation of the
smelting plant. However, once the construction had finished, the employer only
kept 250 workers. The workers therefore went on strike.

The workers had organised work stoppages and a sit-in at the
plant in the days up to 24 January. The sit-in had lasted 8 days before violence
broke out. Many workers and their families, including many elderly women, had
attended the protest and had been blocking the main road leading to the plant
and the main entrance of the plant. They were demanding permanent contracts and
were protesting against the use of temporary contracts, layoffs and deferred
payment of salaries and benefits.

We understand that due to the persistence of the sit-in and
the protest, the province security council, on which the governor of Kerman
province, Mr. Karimi and the governor of Shahr-e Babak city, Seifollah
Shahad-Nejad have seats, had decided to dispatch more security forces to the
area. Special police forces were consequently brought in from Kerman city in
helicopters to break the strike, and they used force against the protesting
workers in front of the plant. The confrontation subsequently spread to the city
of Shahr-e Babak. The police opened fire during the confrontation and at least
four workers were killed in front of the plant and dozens wounded. Some of the
wounded were hospitalised in Surcheshmeh and in the city of Shahr-e Babak, some
in a critical condition. General (Sardar) Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (Head of
Iran's Security Forces) later confirmed that the police had fired the shots that
killed the striking workers.

Local people subsequently gathered in front of the residences
of the dead workers, demanding that those responsible for their deaths be held
to account. Protests and confrontations with police reportedly continued over
the following days, leading to the arrest of workers and their relatives.
According to the commanding officer of the security forces of Kerman province,
General Isa Darayee, 80 people were arrested during this incident and 15 were
kept for interrogation.

As you undoubtedly know, Iran is under an obligation to
respect the fundamental right of workers to freedom of association, by virtue of
its membership of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The government of
Iran therefore has a responsibility to prevent police from killing and injuring
workers exercising the legitimate right to strike.

The ICFTU urges your government to ensure the release of all
workers and their relatives arrested in connection to the events of 24 January.

We also call on your government to identify and prosecute
those responsible for the death of the striking workers.

Moreover, we urge you to order an independent and impartial
investigation into the matter and publicly announce the findings of the
investigation. The ICFTU is concerned that the investigation you have ordered by
a delegation from your Office would not be seen to be independent and impartial
by the international community. The same concern applies to the investigations
reportedly undertaken by the Interior Ministry and Kerman Governor's General
Office.

Furthermore, we call on your government to ensure the respect
in future of workers' fundamental right to strike.

Finally, the ICFTU would like to inform you that, in view of
the gravity of these events, the ICFTU has no choice but to lodge a complaint
against the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the ILO Committee on
Freedom of Association.

I would appreciate it, Mr. President, if you could kindly
keep me informed of any action you may be taking concerning the matters
described above.